"Reich Marshal, the current deployment of Army Group Center on the Polish-Western Ukrainian battlefield is as follows: the 6th Army is in Warsaw, the 4th Army in Lviv, the 17th Army in Krakow, the 16th Army in Sokhachev-Buvonje-Pruskov, the 11th Army in Zacrochm-Vyshoglud, the 12th Army in Plockk-Toruń, and the 9th Army in Posen, Germany, as a reserve for Army Group......"

At the same time that the fighting on the Polish front was heating up suddenly, the German Imperial Defense Minister and Imperial Field Marshal Hersmann was in the Ministry of Defense building in Berlin, listening to the report of the First Quartermaster General Halder. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

The content of the report is about the latest deployment of Army Group Center, which is under the command of Field Marshal Rundstead, which now has a total of seven army groups, as well as the Polish Defense Army and the Ukrainian Defense Army, with a total strength of nearly 1.8 million, which is also the largest number of the three army groups on the Eastern Front.

Of the seven armies under the jurisdiction of Army Group Center, the 6th Army, which was entrenched in Warsaw, and the 4th Army, which was entrenched in Lviv, were undoubtedly the main forces. The number of the 6th Army now stands at 300,000.

The 4th Army, because it has jurisdiction over a large number of Ukrainian defense forces, has more troops of more than 600,000 troops (of which the Germans only have more than 100,000).

Although the 4th Army stationed in Lviv was the largest army group under Army Group Center, at present Army Group Center and even the entire Eastern Front battlefield were arranged around the Battle of Warsaw, so the 11th Army, the 12th Army, and the 16th Army were all deployed along the Vistula and Buchula rivers east of Warsaw.

In addition, as the general reserve of Army Group Center, the 9th Army also had a 48th Panzer Corps (12th Panzer Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Panzergrenadier Division), which was used firstly to protect the rear roads of Warsaw and secondly to launch a counterattack at the right time.

General Halder paused for a moment, then continued: "According to the judgment of the Eastern Front Command, the Battle of Warsaw will be fought around two key points. The first is the Warsaw offensive and defensive battle, which has now begun, and the Soviet Army's Central Route Army has begun to attack Warsaw on the east bank of the Vistula River; The second is the contention for the back road in Warsaw...... It is expected that the two sides will engage in repeated battles along the Vistula-Buchula River east of Warsaw. ”

Hersman stood in front of the map table with his arms crossed, frowning as he calculated the situation in his mind. At first glance, the current battlefield in Poland bears a resemblance to the historic Battle of Stalingrad. It's just that the relationship between attack and defense has been reversed, the German army has become the defensive side, and the Soviet army has become the offensive side.

However, the specific situation is still quite different, the historical Battle of Stalingrad was carried out when the German army's vitality had been greatly depleted, but Stalingrad was too far from the German rear, and the long supply lines and harsh weather were weakening the vitality of the attacking German army.

The current Battle of Warsaw, however, was fought between two new forces. According to the report of the 6th Army, which was engaged in fierce fighting with the Soviet army, the morale of the Soviet Red Army was quite high, the supplies and equipment were very sufficient, and it was far from exhaustion.

Of course, the German army, which has been fighting a world war for three years, is now in the best condition. With the current state of the German army, it is not difficult to defeat the Soviet attack, but it is not easy to win a decisive victory under the city of Warsaw, which will destroy hundreds of thousands or even millions of enemies.

Hersman touched his chin that was hanging cleanly, and asked thoughtfully: "When does Marshal Guderian think he can let Army Group North launch a counterattack?" ”

The commander of Army Group North is Manstein, and this Army Group is certainly not as numerous as Army Group Center (Army Group Center is now in command of the Polish Defense Forces and the Ukrainian Defense Forces, which are naturally very numerous), but it concentrates 12 Panzer Divisions and 8 Panzergrenadier Divisions! In the "blue scheme" it was the main force of the German counterattack.

"We'll have to wait and see," said Halder, "and the Battle of Warsaw has just begun, and the Soviet armoured forces have not been greatly depleted, and the Soviet Western Front still has a strong armoured group in reserve." In addition, the Soviet Union is now mobilizing and it is estimated that more armies will be formed within a few months. ”

According to the information available to the General Staff of the German Army, now the Western Front of the Soviet Red Army concentrated approximately 10-15 army groups on the Warsaw front. In Lublin there was 1 army group to complement the Soviet South-Western Front. On the front facing Baltic Lithuania to the north, Army Group 2-3 was also placed to support the North-Western Front.

There was also a powerful tank army group around Minsk as a reserve for the entire Front.

In addition, in Smolensk and Moscow there was a reserve front with 7-8 army groups, ready to support the Western Front.

"According to the estimates of the General Staff, from June 1 to the present, the total number of personnel lost by the Soviet Red Army in battles with us is between 150,000 and 200,000, less than 1,000 tanks and about 2,000 aircraft," Halder continued. Such losses could have been devastating if they had happened to small and medium-sized countries, but they were not a problem for the Soviet Union at all.

If we want to fully implement the blue program, then it is necessary to annihilate 150-2 million Red Army troops at the first stage after the start of the war. ”

Now it is not easy to annihilate 150-2 million Red Army!

Because it's June 1942 and not June 1941. The Red Army had been reorganized and expanded, its tanks and planes had been upgraded, and the Germans had lost the opportunity to launch a surprise attack - this was the price of Hersmann's choice to settle the Mediterranean first!

Although Germany obtained enough oil and non-ferrous metals, and successfully promoted European integration (provided that there was oil and materials to make European countries prosperous and strong), it also allowed Stalin to pass a rather weak window of time.

So the opportunity to quickly resolve the USSR, now does not exist.

"How's the situation in Ireland?" Hersmann turned the conversation to the West, the Soviet Union could not win quickly, but Britain could.

"The British launched another round of feeble attacks from the 20th," said Halder in a mocking tone, "with about 30 divisions. ”

The British counterattack in Ireland was to cooperate with the Soviet Union, but to be honest, the British were now too weak to move the German troops on the Eastern Front to the Western Front.

However, the German side in Ireland has strengthened its forces compared to May. SS "Adolf. Both the "Hitler" Brigade and the "German Reich" Brigade were expanded into divisions, and the Spanish 250th "Blue" Division and the French Foreign Legion were already in place. In addition, the French provided an artillery cluster to support the operations of the European coalition forces on the island of Ireland.

"Now we have 10 divisions, 1 French Foreign Legion equivalent to 2 infantry divisions, and 1 powerful French artillery group on the island." Halder was also relieved about the situation in Ireland: "The British attack was useless, but Lieutenant General Paulus suggested that it could be appropriately reduced to create conditions for another landing behind the British army." ”

Paulus's pneumonia was finally cured, but the position of commander of the 1st Marine Division was yellow, and Colonel Wink was soon promoted to major general because of his outstanding achievements, and the division commander was also corrected.

However, Paulus did not return to Berlin and was left behind in Brest by Schleicher, because Schleicher's former chief of staff, Hermann. After Balk was promoted to lieutenant general, he was asked by Rundstedt to be the commander of the 48th Panzer Corps.

So Schleicher asked Paulus to take over the squad of Lieutenant General Balke, and Paulus, who had taken up the post of the new officer, proposed a new landing plan, hoping to completely disrupt the deployment of British troops in Ireland through an adventurous landing operation in the north of the island of Ireland and create conditions for the gathering and annihilation of British troops in Ireland.

"Paulus's plan can be considered," said Hersman, after a moment's thought, "I am not the Chief of the General Staff now, and you and Marshal Kesselring will decide this matter." ”

He pondered for a moment, and then said: "Recently I am leaving Berlin for Penemünde to accompany the French Minister of Defense, Admiral Weygand, to see the A-5 rocket." It should be possible to get the French to join us, and if this goal is achieved, the Battle of Warsaw will be easy to fight, and the French air force and artillery will come to our aid. ”

"By A-5 rockets?" Halder was somewhat unconvinced.

It is difficult to say whether the A-5 will be put into actual combat, and as for the larger A-6 and A-7 rockets, which have just begun to be established, it is not known whether they will be completed before the end of the war. Why was Wei Gang persuaded by this weapon of the future?

"We still have sarin gas!" Hersman laughed and said, "The French chemists should have studied sarin." Sarin poison plus A5 rockets, that's a great weapon. ”

"Imperial Marshal," Halder's brow still furrowed, "the effectiveness of poison gas weapons in actual combat is always not as good as imagined, and it usually varies greatly...... Admiral Wei Gang should be well aware of this. ”

"I'll convince him, because we still have a big card," Hersman said, waving his hand, "so the General Staff can consider the use of French artillery clusters in the development of a plan for the decisive battle of Warsaw." (To be continued.) )